I swear I was about to tell Mom about the pudding and the detention and all of that the minute my bandmates headed home. Really. It’s just… I was a little worried that she wouldn’t let me go to the dance if I mentioned it. I wanted to make sure I said it the right way….
“I CAN’T WAIT TO SHOW YOU MY DRESS FOR THE DANCE!” Rhonda said. She’d followed me home from school again to watch us practice, but somehow I didn’t mind so much. “WHAT ARE YOU WEARING, GEORGIA?”
Mom cocked her head, as if she was interested in hearing the answer.
“I… I haven’t thought about it,” I confessed.
“WELL, THINK ABOUT IT!” Rhonda cried. “YOU’LL BE UP ONSTAGE!”
“And it’s your first school dance,” Mom agreed. “Rhonda’s right. I’m taking you to Smythe and Smythe.”
“The fancy department store?” I asked. I’d actually set foot in there only once before. A very tall, very scary-looking woman with no eyebrows squirted me with a bottle of stinky perfume. It took two days to get the smell off.
So that’s how I forgot to mention my detention and instead ended up going shopping with Rhonda and my mom.
I headed straight for the sale rack, where fashions come to die of humiliation.
“None of these really seem like me,” I said.
“WHAT ABOUT THIS ONE?” Rhonda asked.
From Rhonda’s excited tone, I could only imagine what she had just picked up.
Fortunately, my imagination was way off.
“Oh, I love it!” Mom said, taking the hanger from Rhonda and grabbing my arm. “Georgia, you have to try it on.”
So I did.
I knew it was the perfect dress even before I stepped out of the dressing room. But when I came out, Rhonda let out a screech and tackled my mom in a huge hug. Mom said, “You look beautiful, Georgia.”
I turned and gazed at myself in the three-way mirror. Beautiful? Well, she’s my mom. But I definitely looked pretty good.
“IN YOUR FACE, MISSY TRILLIN!” Rhonda squealed.
I smiled. Yeah, I thought. I look kinda princessy. In a good way.
This could really work.
